New content from USSF

USSF seems to be in the process of updating their website with more video modules for refs.

Check out the new "Ask, Tell, Dismiss" guidance Here:

MLSsoccer.com also hosts a weekly "Instant Replay" series that reviews some of the notable calls (and non-calls) from MLS Action.  The link is here.  I don't always agree with Simon Borg's conclusions, but it is pretty cool to review.

Finally, we should follow this rugby ref's lead in dealing with Dissent on the field.  The dissent is at :08, the ref handles it at :38.

Inventing the Laws

As a 2nd year Grade 8 ref, I think I can apply the Laws 100% correctly.  That is different from foul recognition of course.  Well...

I've worked more State Cup games this year.  That's good of course - I'm working high level youth games as CR which offset some of the not-so-high level HS games I've recently had (even at Varsity!).  This weekend though I misapplied a few Laws.

• U14 #1 CR.  One minute before half I see an eligible sub at the center line.  I wave off the sub to my AR since I have a minute left and I already announced I was not adding time to the half.  Well that's an incorrect application of Law 3.  In "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game", paragraph 3.6 clearly states "...Even if it seems that the purpose [of the substitution] is to waste time, the referee cannot deny the request, but should exercise the power granted in Law 7 to add time lost through "any other cause."  So my correct decision should have been to allow the sub then add time to compensate for the late substitution.

Well that misapplication in the grand scheme of things isn't too egregious.  The next one however...

Mood swing

As referees, we strive to be consistent in our calls throughout a game.  I prefer to let the game flow until the players start telling me, in their own way, I need to call more fouls.  Of course if I detect the temperature rising on my own my whistle becomes very active, or if in the first few minutes of the game I see a lot of physical contact then I know I need to call a bunch of fouls.

Which leads me to my experience with a U-16 D-2 Boys game.  The first half ended 1-0 with two fouls on each team.  One player asked me to watch the pushing, but otherwise no complaints at all.  In other words, the players knew what I was calling and were fine with it.  So 5 minutes goes by in the 2nd half and there's a challenge inside the penalty area.  The way I saw the attacker react seemed strange.  I didn't have a great angle, but I decided there was a substantial push from behind, so I gave the penalty.  After the usual complaints, the keeper (who decided to use his Captain status even though the Laws give him no such privilege) more or less said "you didn't call that in the 1st half, why are you calling it now?"  Although I said "both my AR and I saw it (which turned out to be true, but the AR did NOT signal for a foul)", I thought - you know he's correct.  Now I had to make a lot more calls since the players didn't know what I was going to call.  It took me about 20 min to get the game back to where I (and the players) wanted it to be.

During my game debrief my AR said there was indeed a push, and the push affected the attacker, but was surprised I gave the penalty.  So indirectly he thought the same thing as the player.  For what it is worth, the winning coach thought the call could've gone either way, but otherwise really liked how I called the game.

Lesson learned.  Be consistent, but manage the temperature if it needs to be managed.  With one close call, I changed the mood of the game when it didn't need to be changed.
 

Parental Guidance Suggested

In my last blog post I commented that I had my first parent removal.  Right now I'm in the middle of I don't know what type of Karma.  In my last three CR games I have had to remove a parent/spectator.  All three were a result of my AR calling me over to remove the offender.  Here's the latest two:

• State Cup.  I was CR for a U-12 boys game.  My AR-1 is a Grade 7.  My AR-2 is a Grade 6.  Wow that's a ton of AR experience for a U-12 boys game (even for State Cup).  Anyway, Blue team is winning 1-0.  White team launches a shot at goal.  From my angle, the GK acted a bit 'weird'.  Goal is scored (ball went through his legs), I glance over at my AR-2, and his flag is up.  Uh oh.  Fortunately I'm real good at *not* signalling a goal until after my AR confirms the goal.  So I backpedaled to him.  He called offside since an attacker was in an offside position and was charging at the keeper, influencing play.  OK that could explain the GK's reaction.  We talk about it, and, I know from past experience he knows his stuff, so I agree with his recommendation and disallow the goal.   White coach isn't terribly happy, so I run over and explain our call, and conclude "well it is a correct application of the Law, and that's the call I'm making."  White team's parents are somewhat up in arms.  So the IFK is taken and clearly the Blue team is offside on the IFK.  Easy call.  Some idiot screams "way to not swallow your whistle that time ref."  I'm about ready to shut the whole sideline up but my AR-2 beat me to it.  Then he tells me "Brian this parent has to go."  So I run over there and let him know he's done.  Gets up and argues, but hey I'm taller (and bigger) than he is, and he ultimately leaves.  Ironically, a Grade 8 AR likely does not make the offside call and the game may turn out differently (it ended 3-0).

The good news about the whole event is that at the end of the game the White team coach participates in the sportsmanship line and thanks us for a job well done. Those are the coaches I like.  Be fair in your dissent, and at the end of the game realize it is over and most likely the refs had nothing to do with the result.

President's Trap

We are on our way to having the driest March in Denver "history."  That means two things.  One:  No problems with games being cancelled due to weather.  Two:  Mother Nature will get us in April or May. :)

Our President's Cup (Boys U14+) kicked off this past weekend.  After many changes from our Assignor, I ended up with one U17 CR and one U17 A/R.

Start with the A/R game (my 2nd).  One coach came up to us and told us "we are running an offside trap.  I support the referees, but yesterday they blew 2 calls which lead to 2 goals...please watch for it."  OK coach.  So in the 1st half I was on their defense side which meant I got to watch for the trap.  I'm not a coach, but I have now concluded that the Offside Trap is a bad idea when it is the foundation of your defensive strategy.  You are now making me, the A/R, part of your defense, as opposed to my true role which is to provide information to my CR, first and foremost monitoring for an offside violation.  The opposing team took 10 minutes to unlock the defense.  First they discovered the defense was struggling with diagonal runs.  Then they discovered the defense didn't have the speed to recover.  Third they discovered that the A/R sometimes misses a call - I think I missed one offside call that lead to a goal, but my other calls were spot on.  Finally, they discovered they could just beat the defense dribbling.  An offside trap when run on occasion can be an effective strategy.  What I've seen in sub-elite youth levels is that the defense is trying so hard to execute the trap that when they fail they rarely get back in defensive shape.  So even if the attack slows, their shape is terrible, and a good possession team will score over and over again.  Which happened as the final was 9-1 in favor of the non-trapping team.

All about the Angles

Had just one CR assignment this weekend for a U-13 F Premier-1 (i.e. best of the U13 girls in CO) game.  It was a decent morning (finally was comfortable enough to wear ref shorts!) but the wind was blowing.  Which of course means positioning on GKs and keeper 'punts' is challenging.  I had two notable non-calls in the 1st half of said game related to my positioning and angle to the play:

1. I was in perfect position to watch a 2 handed push during a header challenge on a punt.  I was only 4 yards away!  And...and...and...my whistle never met my mouth.  My Senior AR asked me at half about that saying "well did you see..." and I finished "oh the 2 handed push that for some reason I didn't call?"  He laughed and said "well, at least you saw it, and yes, that's happened to me too."
I hate when that happens. :(


2. The 2nd non-call.  Normally when there's a GK or 'punt' I take position based on USSF guidelines adjusting for actual physical ability and tendencies.  I try to catch the initial kick contact out of the corner of my eye to make sure there's not a short kick or something crazy and then of course I focus on the field since the player movement will bring me to the ball.  Well this kick the wind caught the ball and was bringing it right at me.  So I got out of the way as quickly as possible but that left me parallel to the play.  So I saw a challenge that to me appeared OK.  Well...if I was where I *should* have been and had a more perpendicular angle, I would've seen one girl more or less climb over the other girl which would've been an easy charging foul call.  Bad angle!

Fortunately, I was much better in the 2nd half.  My SAR even said "you got all the calls right."  Well at least according to him. :)

In other news...

Mother Nature - undefeated and untied

Well a bummer for me this past weekend.  What should have been eight games (3 on turf, 5 on grass) ended up being ONE (on turf).  Mother Nature (or is it Old Man Winter?) didn't give us the needed warm temperatures (and winds) to dry out the rest of the Denver Metro grass fields, especially on the south side of town.